Southwest Chicken Quinoa Casserole (Simple & Budget-Friendly)

Looking for a hearty family-friendly meal made in one dish with savory Tex-Mex flavors? If you say “Yes, please!”, then this Southwest Chicken Quinoa Casserole is for you! It comes together quick and makes a nutritiously complete meal. Just add your favorite toppings and watch it disappear.

 

The Ultimate Make-Ahead Meal

Imagine a flavorful, nutritious meal that’s made all in one casserole dish that can be made ahead and reheated for an ultra-quick dinner or weekday lunches. This is that chicken casserole.

This Southwest chicken casserole with quinoa requires only 20 minutes of hands-on prep time, just like our Chicken Pot Pie Casserole recipe. The rest of the time it’ll be tucked away in the oven baking to perfection while you tidy up the kitchen and move on to other things. To speed up prep on busy weeknights, spend a little time on the weekend chopping the vegetables, cooking and dicing the chicken (use our easy, no fail method for perfectly cooked chicken breasts), and measure out the spices. Then all you have to do is combine, mix, cover, and bake this quinoa casserole when you’re ready.

Ingredients to Make Southwest Chicken Casserole

While this ingredient list may look long, have no fear. Many of the ingredients are ones that you likely already have on hand in your pantry or freezer, like everyday spices, canned goods, and frozen veggies.

• Cooked Chicken – Leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken are great shortcuts for this recipe. If starting with raw chicken, check out our recipe for How to Make the Perfect Chicken Breast or this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe (skip the shredding and dice instead)
• Quinoa – This chicken casserole uses dry (uncooked) quinoa – no need to cook it first!
• Bell pepper – Any color of bell pepper will work
• Jalapeño – Remove the seeds and membranes for less heat or omit, if desired
• Frozen cauliflower rice – No need to thaw first, just toss it in the pan and stir. Why cauliflower rice? It’s a great way to sneak in some veggies while keeping the carbs balanced and the moisture it gives off during baking helps make that quinoa nice and tender
• Frozen corn – No frozen corn? Substitute drained canned corn instead
• Canned Black beans – These are quick and easy shortcut in this recipe. Drain and rinse them under cool, running water to remove much of the added sodium if not using a brand without added salt
• Diced green chiles
• Canned diced tomatoes – Look for fire-roasted diced tomatoes to add extra flavor to this Southwest chicken casserole
• Tomato sauce – Look for ‘no added salt’ tomato sauce to reduce the sodium content
• Water or chicken broth – Use store-bought broth or make your own using our super easy and economical using our Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe and Photo Tutorial
• Chili Powder – Thrive Market has the best price on one of the most flavorful chili powders we’ve ever tried. Don’t sleep on this one!
• Ancho chili powder – Ancho chili powder gives this dish a bit of a kick. If you prefer a milder option, replace it with additional chili powder
• Garlic powder
• Ground cumin
• Onion powder
• Dried Oregano
• Smoked paprika or regular paprika
• Shredded Cheese – We suggest either Colby jack, Monterey jack, cheddar cheese, or a “Mexican” blend that combines several types of flavorful cheeses. To make this casserole dairy-free, use your favorite vegan or dairy-free cheese alternative shreds
• Optional toppings for serving: sour cream, salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, green onion, jalapeño slices, fresh lime wedges, sliced or diced avocado, etc.

Simple Directions for This Healthy Chicken Casserole

This casserole comes together so quickly with these three steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉ then prepare a large glass or ceramic baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Add the cooked diced chicken, seasonings, quinoa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bell pepper, jalapeño, black beans, frozen cauliflower rice, corn, green chiles, and about 1 ¼ cup of cheese and stir well to combine. That’s right, add it all to the dish. Don’t be shy.
3. Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake again, uncovered, until the cheese is melted then remove the Southwest chicken casserole from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving with the toppings of your choice.

For the complete directions, ingredient amounts, and nutrition analysis that lists calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium per serving, scroll down to the recipe card below.

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!